Aloha!

Pooneet, Ananya, and I just came back from a week of vacation in Maui. It was our first vacation just the three of us and we can easily say that it was one of the most memorable trips we've ever taken! We were definitely nervous about the flights, but Ananya was a champ (getting upgraded didn't hurt either) and took naps and made friends with pretty much everyone around us. Phew! Maui itself was wonderful and we spent each day swimming in either the ocean or the pool (Ananya would be in the water for over an hour at a time!), going out to eat (she loved eating out and saying "hi" and "bye" to everyone in the restaurant), going for walks by the beach, playing in the sand, looking at birds, and finally getting to wear summer clothes that we haven't been able to wear in cold SF! On this trip, Ananya perfected saying "mama" and walking nonstop (she no longer crawls), and learned to point to her knee, head, and tummy. Excellent!




Here is a video of Ananya at a sushi restaurant



Ananya having fun on the beach



Chillin' in the pool



First time fun on escalators

August wrap-up

Here are some pics from some fun times we had at the end of August: going to my work picnic where Ananya and Pooneet went on a slide for the first time, playing on computers, having fun with Sarada Aunty and Naseem Uncle, celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, and spending a weekend with Dadu and Dadi in Atherton where Ananya played with all her aunties and cousins...and Pluto the dog!

So much walking!

Ananya spent the weekend at her Dadu and Dadi's house, where she got a ton of walking practice. Ever since then, she's been all over the place! She has pretty much given up crawling and just loves to walk now, which makes me sad to see the crawling/baby phase go and excited to see how much she enjoys exploring the world upright.

Cousin Ajay's 1st bday

Ananya celebrated her cousin Ajay's 1st birthday. Since she now knows all about turning 1, she had a lot to teach her cousin. Of course, she also couldn't resist giving him a big birthday kiss!

Growing up so quickly

We've seen so many amazing developments in Ananya in the past two weeks. We were away from her the entire weekend while we went to Las Vegas and she had a blast, which makes us feel so good that she can have fun without us (and which is also inspiring us to think of our next getaway!). Then, based on our pediatrician's suggestion, we have successfully weaned her off the pacifier! Yay! This is something we were dreading to do, given that Ananya seemed so attached to her beloved pacifier. But we started gradually taking it away during her daytime naps, and last week I took it away from her at bedtime...and she didn't even put up a fuss. Phew :) But I do miss seeing her with her pacis, it just reinforces how quickly she's growing up and leaving baby-hood behind as she becomes a toddler.

She started walking all of a sudden, and is walking very sturdily for such a beginner. We are so proud! Her sense of hearing is amazingly sharp (she definitely gets that from her Papa and not me), and she will stop what she's doing and point to the sky when she hears the sound of a helicopter or airplane...even before the rest of us can hear it. Half the time, I think she's making it up, but then a few seconds later, sure enough, a helicopter or airplane becomes visible in the sky! And, I'm saving the best for last, she started saying "mama" two days ago. Yippee!

She now has a best friend in her Ananya-sized Winnie-the-Pooh, and loves to hug him all day long.



Her teeth are coming in by the droves, and I feel like I see new ones sprouting every few days. She loves shoes - especially ones that are not hers - and gets a big kick out of trying on other people's shoes. Couch-falling and yoga are still her two favorite activities, and it's funny to see her get into her yoga pose and try to either a)eat upside down, b) shake your hand upside down, or c)hold something in her hand and pass it to her other hand upside down.

From Yoga to Walking

So just a couple weeks ago Ananya perfected Yoga and now she goes from no walking to immediately walking across rooms. Here is a short clip of her walking to Aditi.

Enjoy!

Fun weekend

Pooneet took me to Las Vegas for the weekend to kick off my birthday festivities, where a group of our friends also joined in on the fun. It was our first weekend together, away from Ananya. We had such a great time (oh the joys of sleeping in!) but missed our baby a lot!



Meanwhile, Ananya got to spend a fun-filled weekend with Thatha and Avva. She had such a great time, playing in the park with the duckies, going for walks, and enjoying Avva's homecooked meals.